


Take My Hand

by GoldenEnderFox



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, But he loves the Doctor too much to do that, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Jealousy, Koschei and Theta, The Master and the TARDIS hate eachother, The Master is a big old softie, The Master really wants to kill the fam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23059720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenEnderFox/pseuds/GoldenEnderFox
Summary: The Doctor convinces the Master to leave Gallifrey with her.Set at the end of Series 12. Just some soft Thoschei.
Relationships: The Doctor & The Master (Doctor Who), The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who), Thirteenth Doctor/The Master (Dhawan)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 245





	1. Chapter 1

**Take My Hand**

_Just some soft Thoschei at the end of Series 12 ( 13 x Dhawan!Master )_

_The Doctor convinces the Master to leave Gallifrey with her_

**-x-**

She couldn't do it.

Her hand had dropped to her side, unable to press the button. Even after all the Master's taunting.

She simply couldn't do it... Despite her current hatred towards the Master for what he had done to Gallifrey, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. She would never allow her hate to overcome her. Her adoration for her old friend, well he was more than just a friend, in front of her was all she could focus on.

Looking down at him, she hoped that his eyes would hold something for once. Not the usual emptiness. Just a glimmer of hope was all she could ever wish for. Anything.

She noticed him twitch slightly, a look of confusion glossed over his eyes. His fists clenched just a little bit tighter. The Doctor noticed every little thing about him.

The Doctor was prepared to die there on Gallifrey at the hands of the Master's new creations. She would gladly accept death instead of killing her friend.

But after Ko Sharmus had ran into the room, taking a hold of the device... the Doctor thought of this as another chance. Another chance to get off this planet with the Master. Not alone.

"Come with me," the Doctor said, outstretching her hand. Her eyes flickered between him and the new Cybermen behind him.

He chuckled whilst standing, "And why would I do that, Doctor? I hate you," the Doctor heard the slight falter when he breathed the word 'hate'. She knew deep down there was more than just hate. Something more.

"Yes. You do. But not enough to say 'no'," she replied, not willing to let her hand drop.

He looked away from her, focusing on anything but.

"I know..." she took a step closer, "I know deep down that you've always wanted to travel with me. We talked about it when we were young. Just us two. Seeing the stars, seeing the planets... And we promised eachother that we would sit down at the end of every adventure and just talk in our own TARDIS. Together."

"Doc-"

"Master," she cut him off, her hearts ached at the need to call him by his real name, "Just this once. Take my hand," she pleaded.

He shook his head, looking down at his feet, "Why... After all I've done. Why do you still continue to treat me like I'm your friend?!" a hint of anger laced his words.

"Because you are," she assured, "I wanted to take your hand at the boundary. But I was afraid... Afraid of you letting go again."

The Master would never admit that the Doctor was above him. Because right now she was. She had been for a long time. Grabbing her hand would prove that she was the higher being.

"The Cyberium would never let me leave," he admitted.

"I wouldn't let the Cyberium stop you," she promised, "We can control it together."

She could practically see the gears turning in his head, the harsh tension in the room was slowly dying out.

"Come on," the Doctor smiled, "You know you want to," seeing his hands twitch, she sighed, "Would it make you feel better if I dropped my hand and you raised yours?" she teased as she let her hand fall.

"Perhaps," the Master tried to stop the smirk from appearing on his face as he raised his hand, "Take my hand, Doctor."

She quickly took it, "Always."

-x-

The Doctor tried to talk Ko Sharmus out of sacrificing himself, assuring him that there must be another way. He declined and declined, promising that this is what he had to do.

The Master didn't need to think twice before dragging her down the corridor towards a vacant TARDIS. His hand released hers before he danced around the console.

"Let me dri-"

"You always leave the brakes on, Doctor! I would never let you drive!" he exclaimed with a laugh.

She moved to the opposite side of the console, her hands gripped it hard, "Don't judge my abilities," she smirked.

"Is it too late to decline your offer?" he groaned as he pulled the final lever.

"My offer?" she questioned, "You're the one who said 'take my hand, Doctor'," she teased as the TARDIS shook.

"You are already becoming a pain..." he muttered.

She smiled, "Where are you even sending us?"

"I got a lock on to your TARDIS, I assumed you wanted to be somewhere familiar."

"Trying to steal my TARDIS, are you?"

"Don't test me."

The Doctor felt like she was going to cry as she looked at the man on the other side of the console. All of this felt like a dream. It was so long ago when they had agreed to travel together... And now it was really happening before her very eyes.

He caught her staring, "Oh, if looks could kill, Doctor. I might just drop dead right now," he joked.

The Doctor was already loving this. She could hardly believe it. Her old friend was standing in the same TARDIS as her. And they weren't trying to kill eachother. They weren't a threat to eachother.

She rounded the console without saying a word, feeling a stray tear roll down her cheek.

"Don't you get all emotional on me, Doctor. You know how I feel about emotions," he glared as he took a step back from the console, already expecting the Doctor to display some physical affection.

The anger in his voice was evident... but she could tell that he wouldn't deny a hug.

Her arms came to wrap around him as she allowed more tears to fall, her head rested against the man's chest - listening to his heartbeats.

"Doctor..." he groaned under her touch, trying to sound annoyed. His arms stayed rigid, trying his best not reciprocate. He couldn't appear weak.

"Thank you for coming with me, Koschei," she muttered with a content sigh, "I would've stayed there on Gallifrey with you, you know?"

"No you wouldn't-"

"Yes I would have," she said, her head lifted off his chest to look up into his eyes, "I would've set a course on another TARDIS for Ko Sharmus... Then I would've come back to you. But... I wouldn't have killed you. Because I could never do that to you."

He gulped, feeling his heartbeat quicken. Finally. He allowed one hand to come up to the Doctor's face, he sighed as he cupped the woman's face, "Always so stupid. Aren't you, Theta?"

They hadn't been this physically close in so long. The Doctor even thought for a second that the Master was going to kiss her... She could barely remember what that felt like.

He decided to pull the Doctor into a hug once the TARDIS landed. This caught her of guard, making her freeze up for a moment. His arms were tight around her, her hands clutched the back of his jacket.

"You're tired..." he said.

She shook her head against him, "No. I'm okay."

He felt the slightest bit of guilt begin to eat away at him. He had been the cause for this. The cause of the Doctor's pain. He thought he would enjoy it...

Pulling back, his hand found hers and he spoke sternly, "Your TARDIS is waiting. No point in wasting our time in here. And you can get some rest whilst I finally take the reigns of your TARDIS again."

"It's my turn to drive," she pouted.

He rolled his eyes, dragging her towards the doors, "Next time you can drive."

"And the time after that... and the time after that..." she smiled.

"Don't push your luck, Doctor. Or I'll push you into the time vortex."

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

Just as they were about to leave the TARDIS, the Doctor pulled the Master back towards her, "And I would just pull you out with me," she hugged him tight again.

Letting out a groan, he spoke, "Have you always been this touchy feely?" he failied to stop the smile from appearing on his face.

"I just haven't had a hug in a long time..." she mumbled against him, his arms soon found their place around her once more.

After many attempts of pulling away from the Doctor, finally, the Master convinced her to leave the TARDIS, "You're going to make me regenerate if you squeeze any harder," he had mumbled.

"Can't let that happen."

The Master stepped out first and the Doctor followed.

He grimaced, "A tree? Really?"

The Doctor allowed her hand to brush the side of the tree, "Smart if you think about it. Nobody would ever know something was off."

The Master kept his hands in his pockets as he walked on ahead, "Stop feeling up the tree and get a move on. Don't make me leave you behind," he called without looking back.

"Two things. One. My TARDIS wouldn't leave me behind and let you take her. Two. You wouldn't leave me behind."

"Really?" he questioned, stopping in his tracks.

"Really," she caught up to him.

"Didn't your TARDIS leave you behind last time?"

The Doctor hushed him, "Shut up..." she muttered under her breath before grabbing his hand again.

The Master smirked "Is this going to be a regular thing?" he sighed as they walked side by side.

She nodded, "At least I'm not saying 'run' for once," she joked as they arrived at the blue box.

The Doctor's free hand came up to rest on the door, "Hey, old girl..."

He watched quietly as the Doctor's hand travelled down to the door handle. Before she could push it open, it opened on its own.

A questionable hum emitted from the TARDIS as she entered, pulling the Master along with her.

"It's okay," the Doctor assured, "He's travelling with us for a bit."

Another hum.

"Don't be jealous," she smiled.

"She doesn't like me," he muttered.

"Can you blame her?" the pair approached the console, "You've done a lot of bad things, you know? Like killing lots of innocent people," she hadn't forgiven him for all the deaths. For all the suffering. It would take a lot of time for her to understand his ways. To forgive him.

"Don't think I will stop, Doctor..." he said as he leaned against the console, releasing the Doctor's hand. She leaned against it beside him.

She sighed, "Just... Try."

_For you, I would._

"No promises," he folded his arms.

There was a comfortable silence around them. The Master knew that the Doctor needed to take a breather. She was extremely tired both physically and mentally, even though she didn't show it.

His eyes drifted around the room, "I never got a good look at this place when I first came in here... I don't like it."

"He's only teasing," the Doctor said once the TARDIS started to make another distressed noise. She allowed her eyes to close as she took a deep breath.

She was scared to open her eyes.

Scared to see that Koschei wasn't really there. Just a figment of her imagination.

The Master glanced at the Doctor. His eyebrows furrowed as he noticed her ragged breathing, "Theta," he spoke, understanding her situation, "I'm here."

This time, he was the one to initiate the hug. He pulled her into his side, his arms secure around her.

_I'm sorry._

He didn't know what to say. He felt the need to scream and shout at someone or something. The banging in his head made everything hurt... But as he felt the Doctor's arms around him. The noise became more bearable. She was like a barrier. Blocking the noise for him. Strangely, he never expected to feel at peace around her. But he did.

"I should really go see the gang..."

He quickly replied, "Just take a moment. Those puny little humans can wait."

She sighed, her eyes closing as she focused on Koschei's heartbeats. She decided to ignore his comment for now.

A loud alarm blaring from the console made the pair jump away in fright.

"Is your stupid TARDIS trying to scare me into my next regeneration?!" the Master exclaimed in anger as he felt his hearts begin to beat rapidly.

"No-"

The Doctor was cut off by a flash of light illuminating the room. The two looked towards the source to see three Judoon standing in front of them.

The look of confusion on the Master's face was clear, "Oh, Doctor what have you been up to?"

"I haven't-"

The Judoon interrupted, "Judoon Cold Case Unit. Fugitive: The Doctor," they stepped closer, "Sentence: whole of life imprisonment, maximum security facility."

"What?!" the Doctor exclaimed.

Suddenly, the Judoon were gone - one by one.

Gone.

The Doctor's eyes quickly snapped towards the Master, "Master?!" she shouted, he was holding the TCE in his hand and aiming where the Judoon used to be.

"Only call my name like that when we're in bed, Theta," he chuckled before pocketing the TCE. He walked over to the Judoon and picked them up, "Look!" he looked like an excited child with a new toy, "I've made some new friends."

He was soon bored with them as he tossed them over his shoulder.

"Koschei that- that was extremely unnecessary!" she still couldn't believe that he had shrunk them, "If word gets out, you and I will both be in a lot more trouble with the Judoon!"

He stepped closer with an annoyed sigh, "You talk way too much, has anyone ever told you that?"

Before she could say anything, the Master's hands cupped her cheeks. His lips connected with hers almost immediately. The Doctor could hardly get over the initial shock.

She didn't expect him to be so soft and gentle. She expected anything but. Her arms seemed to move on their own as they came to rest around the Master's neck. His own hands travelled down to pull her closer by the waist as the Doctor allowed her eyes to close.

The Doctor pulled away after hearing the TARDIS make a groan of disgust.

"Don't listen to her," he replied, kissing her again. His hands were almost possessive as he held her close.

The TARDIS noises finally died down once she finally knew that the Doctor wasn't under any threat.

Koschei could feel tension radiating off of Theta, dark and unwelcomed tension. One of his hands carefully drifted up towards her head, "May I?" he breathed between the kiss.

She felt a tear fall down her cheek. The silence she replied with was more than enough for him.

His fingers brushed against Theta's temple. At this moment, he was willing to take on the pain and hurt for her. The sound of the drums was nothing in comparison to the weight the Doctor carried. Her fingers came to play with the hair on the back of his neck in comfort.

I'm here for you now.

Theta heard him loud and clear.

He wanted to apologise. He really did. But he couldn't. Not right now. One day. Maybe.

He soothed her mind, dimmed down any bad thought he could find.

The Doctor's lips left his once she realised what he was doing. The telepathic connection broke, "You don't have to do this-"

"I do," he replied.

His fingers never left her temple, her tired eyes opened before closing immediately. Her arms moved down to wrap around his middle, resting her head against his shoulder. He wanted to help her calm down and tire her mind out.

"You need rest," the Master decided, "What kind of Time Lord needs to sleep?!" the Doctor smiled. Even after everything that has happened, he still used the term 'Time Lord' so fondly, his hand dropped from her head before he carried her in his arms.

Carrying her down one of the many corridors, he decided that he would have to come to terms with the whole situation. It wasn't exactly the Doctor's fault for what had happened. He needed someone to blame. And the Doctor was the only option at the time. And after everything he had done, she had still come back to him. She always does.

He arrived at a random bedroom, pushing the door open with his foot. Stepping inside, he made his way over to the bed. Koschei helped Theta remove her shoes as she was on the brink of passing out. Her head immediately connected with the pillow, a sigh of relief escaped her.

She lifted a hand to grab onto the bottom of the Master's jacket when he began to turn and walk away, "Don't go."

"Don't worry. I will be back," he assured and turned to face her. He leaned down to press a teasing kiss to her lips, "Your Master has some things to do."

She groaned in disgust before flipping over to bury her face into the pillow.

He chuckled, darkly, "If you're still awake by the time I'm back. I will have to make you sleep," he warned.

Another groan, but muffled, escaped the Doctor.

The smirk wouldn't leave his face as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Immediately, he pranced down the corridor, "Wooo!" he exclaimed, running into the console room. The TARDIS made a confused noise, "Come on, darlin'!" he shouted, basking in the orange glow coming from the console, "I feel like burning a planet or two!"

The TARDIS wasn't having any of that.

He pulled a couple levers, pressed a few buttons here and there.

"Don't ruin this for me," he growled once he realised the TARDIS wasn't responding, "Technically, I'm your owner too now."

_No, you're not._

"Yes, I am."

_No._

"Yes," he replied. The TARDIS remained silent. He groaned in frustration, "You're so stubborn! How does she cope?!"

The TARDIS made a noise which could be heard as laughter.

His hand came up to rest on the console, brushing it carefully, "Come oooon. Just one?" he decided to take a different approach, "It'll be fuuuun~," he winked up at the ceiling.

_One?_

"Just one."

_One._

"One tiny little planet. Doesn't even need to have anybody living on it! Although that would be a perk-"

The TARDIS quickly began to move. The console came to life. Lights flickered, a miniature white TARDIS span around quickly.

"Oh, did I ever tell you that I love ya?!" he smirked, happily. The TARDIS landed...

He danced over to the door and pulled it open, excitement took over his body. His smile soon dropped when he realised where the TARDIS had took him...

"M-Master?!" the girl said. The Master's eyes darted between the three 'companions'. He slammed the door shut, turning to glare at the console.

"Did I ever tell you that I hate you?"

**-x-**

The Doctor couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face as she looked up at the monitor in the corner of the room, displaying what was going on in the console room, "Same old Master..." she sighed, her eyes closed, "Nice one, old girl."

The TARDIS hummed happily in response.

"He'll change. One day."

_One day._


	2. Chapter 2

**Take My Hand Part 2 | 13 x Dhawan!Master**

**The Master needs to deal with the Doctor's fam**

_**Some more soft Thoschei** _

_**** _

**-x-**

"Doctor!" the Master's voice echoed throughout the TARDIS, "If you don't get in here right now, I-!"

"Keep him down," Yaz said as she looked down at Ryan and Graham who were currently sitting on top of the Master to stop him from moving.

The Master groaned as he felt the uncomfortable TARDIS floor rub against his cheek, "Will you get off?!" he closed his eyes in annoyance, unable to do anything.

"I thought you would at least put up a fight, mate," Ryan laughed. The Master could easily overpower these two... But truthfully, he just couldn't be bothered.

"We ain't lettin' you leave until you tell us what you did with the Doc," Graham informed him.

"I have told you... for the past thirty eight minutes and twenty four seconds... that she is resting," he grit his teeth, his annoyance and frustration was slowly turning into anger. He heard the TARDIS hum happily, "Oh, don't you start," he warned as his eyes shot open.

His hearts had started to beat fast, out of annoyance and the slight tingle of pain he was feeling.

"You're lying," Graham decided, "You just want us to go look for her so you have a chance to escape."

"Doctor!" the Master called again. He physically felt his brain cells dying one by one as he listened to these infuriating pets that the Doctor called 'friends'.

Yaz stepped closer, the Master could see her if he strained his eyes, "Just tell us."

"I have."

"Don't make us use... T-This thingy on ya," Ryan stuttered, his hand clutched the TCE as he dangled it in front of the Master's eyes.

The Time Lord groaned, "Don't be foolish. What would the Doctor think if you used that?"

"Stop messing around, Ryan," Yaz grabbed the TCE before placing it on the console - out of the Master's reach.

"You really do make me want to kill you..." he muttered. He decided to close his eyes and clear his mind in order to drown out the next line of questioning. He simply ignored the 'fam'.

His mind searched the TARDIS, wishing to connect with the Doctor.

'Having fun?'

'Very funny, Doctor.'

'You're the one who told me to stay in bed. If anything, this is completely your fault,' the Master could practically feel how smug the Doctor was right now.

'I must say, I'm not exactly fond of your pets-'

'Friends,' she corrected.

'They stole my precious toy, Doctor,' he tried to reason, 'You can't let them do this.'

'Some time away from it will do you some good.'

'Theta, if you aren't in here in the next five minutes. I will throw your pe- friends into an active volcano,' the Doctor knew it was an empty threat... Well, she hoped it was an empty threat.

Their connection was broken as the Master felt a sharp pain run up his spine, he groaned, "Can you get off!? Imagine me having to regenerate because of a broken back! How humiliating that would be! That would definitely go down in history!" he tried to ignore the ache near the back of his neck as Ryan shifted slightly.

If Gallifrey was intact, he was sure that everyone on that planet would mock him for eternity. Forever known as the first Time Lord to regenerate because humans sat on his back.

"Tell us-" Yaz was soon cut off.

"Hey, fam," the Doctor's soft voice caused the gang to turn their heads, "I see you're having fun without me."

"Doctor!" the three humans shouted. Ryan and Graham quickly stood, ignoring the cracking sound coming from the Master's back. The three ran towards the Doctor, pulling her into tight hug.

The Master rolled onto his back, glad that he was finally free from the weight and pressure. His eyes shut softly as he allowed his hearts to stop their rapid beating. The happy chattering from the others was slowly driving him insane. He would have to get used to these tiny humans if he were to stay on this TARDIS...

He wasn't too fond with the idea of sharing the Doctor with her companions.

He hardly even registered that the Doctor was by his side, he cracked an eye open to look up at her. She offered a hand, "Take my hand," she smiled.

"Haven't we already been through this before?" he said with a smirk, deja vu hitting him hard. He grabbed her hand, allowing her to help him up. The Doctor's hearts skipped a beat, shocked that he took her hand so easily without any resistance.

The Master was more than happy to hold it, but he pulled away once the Doctor's friends approached, "Hey, Doc?" Graham started, "Why is he here?"

The Master's hands twitched, itching to reach for the TCE. He resisted.

"Yeah, wasn't he like proper evil on that planet? With all those Cybey timey things?" Ryan questioned.

" _Cybey timey things?_ " the Master muttered in utter disbelief, he wanted to explode right then and there. Anything to get away from these humans.

The Doctor had to stop herself from smiling as she saw the Master's reaction, "Well... He's staying with us for a bit... Or a while. We don't know yet."

"What?!" her friends exclaimed.

"You can't be serious?" Yaz hoped.

The Master grinned at that as he moved to the other side of the console, his fingers brushed over the TCE as he did - so eager to pick it up... He was happy that they hated him. He didn't know why he felt so satisfied. 

The Doctor's eyes followed the Master as he walked, "I know you think he doesn't deserve another chance..." she started.

He really didn't. The Master knew he didn't. He couldn't even begin to figure out why the Doctor had allowed him onto her TARDIS. Allowed him back into her life even after destroying Gallifrey out of pure rage.

"But I couldn't leave him there," she sighed.

His eyes stayed focused on a flashing light on the console, his hands gripped the edge of the console hard. He hated emotions. He hated them. He couldn't let them show.

"Despite everything that's happened..." she continued, her eyes left Koschei to look down at the floor, "We're still the last of our kind."

Time Lords. The Master needed to start embracing it. A piece of him still despised the Doctor for being his purpose of creation... But he couldn't pin the blame on her forever. He just needed time to heal.

"Doc..." Graham said, he could feel the sadness emanating from the Doctor. Ryan and Yaz could easily feel it, too.

But the Master... Oh he could literally feel it. The sadness had taken over his anger and frustration. He felt the powerful emotions wash over him. The connection they shared earlier was still lingering.

"I don't intend for all of us to travel together," she inputted before looking up at her fam, "Us four can have our own adventures," she then looked over to the Master who was still focused on the console, "Then the Master and I will travel alone. We can work through this. We'll all come meet up on the TARDIS every now and then and go from there."

The Master was surprisingly okay with this predicament. Travelling alone with the Doctor... And then coming back and spending time with her friends. He shuddered at the latter. But he was willing to give it a try. Willing to actually try and stop wanting to kill them.

"If the Master plays nice," the Doctor smirked at him, "Then we can all travel together."

"If you're sure, Doctor..." Yaz said, not entirely comfortable with having an insane blood-thirsty Time Lord on the TARDIS with her on a regular basis.

Ryan nodded, "If you're cool with this, Doctor. Then I am, too," he assured.

The Master felt the happiness rise within the Doctor.

"Really?" the Doctor asked, full of hope.

Graham smiled at her, "Course we are, Doc."

Yaz sighed, "Yeah. If this makes you happy. Then we're with you all the way."

The Master almost threw up after hearing all these kind words. He never thought he would be caught in the middle of such a disgusting conversation.

The Doctor clapped her hands together in excitement, "Perfect!" she exclaimed before bouncing over to the Master's side. His glare moved up to her face, "You okay with this?" she asked sincerely.

"Do I have a choice?" he muttered.

"Not really," she smiled.

He couldn't stop himself from smiling back, "Okay, Doctor... I will put up with your..." his eyes drifted over to the trio, "Friends," he didn't exactly intend for his words to carry so much venom. He couldn't help it.

The humans shifted uncomfortably.

"I will let you three take the first trip," he decided, walking over to them. He grabbed the TCE on his way.

"Master," the Doctor warned.

He aimed it at her friends, "Because I'm such a nice person," his free hand came to rest on one of his hearts, "I won't kill you. This time," he lowered the device. He grinned, "Have fun."

The four watched him as he danced off down one of the corridors.

"Is he... Is he going to kill us, Doctor?" Ryan asked, his nerves getting to him.

"No," she shook her head, "He won't. He's just trying to get under your skin."

"Literally or...?" Graham said, worried.

"I won't let him hurt you," she promised, her hands messing with some of the dials on the console, "Now... Who wants to see something really cool?"

**-x-**

The Master fiddled with the TCE in his hands as he lay on the sofa.

_Take your shoes off. You're getting the place all dirty._

"Oh, shut up," the Master replied, annoyed at the TARDIS. He had come to the library with the intention of finding something interesting to read. But no matter what he looked at, his thoughts of burning up a planet or taking over a civilization kept invading. He tried to distract himself.

His eyes then looked to the coffee table, staring at the miniature Judoon he had placed, "This is a brilliant start to my collection, don't you think?" he chuckled up at the ceiling.

 _You will do this no more._ The TARDIS warned.

"You're no fun," he said, allowing his head to flop back onto a pillow.

The Doctor had been gone for the past three hours. Time moved slowly. The Master never pictured himself to be in this situation... Patiently waiting for his Theta to return. But here he was. Bored beyond belief. Waiting. And waiting. Stopping himself from killing. From invading races.

And then... He felt it. He felt her. Her mind growing closer. Finally.

"You're lucky she's here," the Master spoke to the TARDIS, "A moment longer, and I may have blown the console up."

A hum of discomfort echoed throughout the TARDIS.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped threatening her," the Doctor's soft voice filled his ears as she entered.

"I wasn't actually going to do it... Maybe," he mumbled the last part, his eyes followed her as she walked over.

She patted his legs causing him to move into a sitting position, allowing her to take a seat next to him, "What have you been doing whilst I was gone?" she reached forward to pick up one of the Judoon.

He sighed, leaning back into the sofa, his eyes stayed focused on the TCE in his hands, "Looking for books. Reading the books. Then throwing them once I was finished."

The Doctor's eyes drifted over to the corner, now noticing the pile of books. She sighed, "So you've been busy, I see," she carefully placed the Judoon back down, a sad smile played across her lips.

"Well, I haven't killed anyone in the past few hours. Must be some sort of record," he chuckled. He looked at the Judoon once the Doctor leaned her head against his shoulder, "Was thinking about painting them," he joked, "Would help pass the time the next time you leave."

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever helps you."

He pocketed the TCE before allowing his arm to wrap around the Doctor's shoulders, pulling her closer as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.. He hummed, "So... Did your humans mess up? Please tell me they did."

"No," she rolled her eyes before curling up into his side, "They were fine. We had a few close calls. But we're okay."

"What did you get up to?" he questioned, "Didn't have too much fun without me, did you?"

"Well... I did intend to show them a quiet planet. You know? The one covered with snow with those fireflies that build tiny snowmen?"

"I'm familiar," he nodded against her head. That reminded him... He needed to burn that planet at some point.

"Don't you dare," the Doctor warned, hearing his thoughts.

He smirked, "I'm joking! Kind of..."

She couldn't stop herself from smiling, "Anyways... the TARDIS took us somewhere else. I must've got a coordinate wrong. We ended up in the middle of a Dalek fleet. Not exactly what I had in mind."

"And you didn't think to come and tell me?!" he exclaimed, a slight pang of anger rose up within him.

"It was fine! We handled it!" she tried to calm him.

The thought of the Daleks killing the Doctor made his body freeze.

"We went in. Saved the hostages. Destroyed the ships. Was quite handy that they all had a self-destruct system on board. Just a quick blast with the sonic and they all exploded."

"Mmm that is handy," he grumbled.

She lifted her head off his shoulder to get a better look at him, she immediately noticed the rage in his eyes, "You weren't worried, were you?"

He quickly denied it, "Of course not. Just didn't want them killing you. That's my job," he winked at her with a devilish smirk. He inched his face closer to hers, "Next time. You get into trouble like that. You come straight to me. You know how much I like to show other species how much stronger I am in comparison."

She gulped, "I'll consider it."

His hand cupped her cheek, feeling their connection rise, "I'm deciding where we go next time," he announced, "Somewhere fun."

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too mu-?" the Doctor was cut off by the Master's lips against hers. A soft kiss, yet it was full of want.

The Doctor pulled away, "Koschei... You know the TARDIS doesn't like it when we-" he ignored her again, pushing her down onto the sofa. He hovered over her before pressing his lips to hers once more.

The TARDIS groaned in annoyance. More concerned about the pair getting the sofa dirty.

"Th-The fam are still in the TARDIS, you know?" she stuttered nervously as he pulled away.

His smirk grew, "Does it matter, Theta?" he leaned down, capturing her lips - he wouldn't admit it... But he was jealous that her friends got to spend so much time with her.

She felt the rush of jealousy pass through her, she smiled into the kiss as her hands found their way to the back of Koschei's neck. She found it cute that he was jealous.

He pulled away without warning, standing up, "If you call me cute again, Doctor. This won't end well for you."

She sat up slowly, allowing her hearts to calm down and her mind to stop racing, "But-"

"No buts," he stopped her, "I'm not cute. I'm strong, evil, devilishly handsome," he smirked down at her.

_And cute._

Her thoughts invaded his.

He rolled his eyes, "You're lucky I don't hate you," he muttered.

She didn't expect to hear that... She smiled softly up at him, "You don't?"

"Don't push your luck," he held out a hand, "Take my hand, Theta."

_Always._

**-x-**

**I'm tempted to make this into a series. Because I really want the Master to interact with the fam more!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Take My Hand 3 | Thoschei** _   
**The Doctor convinces the Master to leave Gallifrey with her | 13 x Dhawan!Master  
**

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**Well... I don't know how often I will update this. But here we go again!**   
**Thank you for reading! I love you all! ( WE NEED MORE SOFT THOSCHEI GUYS )**

**Chapter 3: The Master gets jealous**

**-x-**

The Master trudged along behind the Doctor. After spending a few weeks with her and the humans, he was already becoming tired of their antics. He had come to the conclusion that they were extremely reckless - always getting into unnecessary danger. He always put minimal effort in and allowed the Doctor to do all the saving. They were her friends after all.

The Doctor had taken them all on their third joint adventure. She wanted to travel with all of them together. Get used to eachother. The Master wasn't too keen on it. But it was either that or stay in the TARDIS for endless hours with nothing to do. He had already painted and re-painted the Judoon almost two hundred times. And he had already thrown every book in library at least twice.

The TARDIS was becoming annoyed and her hatred grew every day towards the Master. He laughed it off.

"Come on, gang!" the Doctor announced as they walked down one of the dusty streets. The planet they had landed on looked pretty Earth-like. The only distinctive feature was the fact that the planet's sky was incredible. There were five moons and many stars scattered the night sky, pink and purple lights swirled around them.

"What's up with the sky, Doc?" Graham questioned.

"This planet is trapped within a vortex," she exclaimed, stopping in her tracks, "Energy from the time vortex move in and out of the stars. This planet's time moves slower than others, so-"

"So the nights last up to three weeks," the Master finished, walking on ahead with his hands in his pockets, "Honestly, Doctor... You should tell them what the planet is like before you take them to it," he muttered. He had been to this planet countless times. It was sort of a getaway planet - a place to go and forget about everything else in the universe.

There were multiple buildings, all having a similar look to skyscrapers. And a couple human-like residents were roaming the streets.

The Doctor sighed, "This planet is also famous for perception filters," she explained before following the Master, "Everyone here is wearing one."

"So... They don't actually look like humans?" Yaz questioned.

"They're all from different worlds, different universes," the Doctor smiled as she waved at a woman who waved back in response, "All gathered here to take a breather. This place is also famous for having Earth features."

"Like selling awful human food. And playing awful human music," the Master said with disgust, "I mean honestly, do you lot cope with all those songs about love and break ups?!"

The Doctor smiled at the Master's complaints. She couldn't exactly disagree with that.

The three humans all looked around, quite surprised at how well the perception filter was working.

"Where are we exactly heading, Doctor?" Ryan asked, staying by the Doctor's side as they all followed the Master who was a few steps ahead of them.

"I just thought we could all take a break and explore. There are a few gift shops and you know how much I love a good gift shop," she smiled.

The Master had other intentions. He wanted to take over this infuriating planet... But he couldn't. Every time he had been here his intentions were cleared. The air on this planet was different to any other planet he had visited, calming his mind - making him forget about the drums momentarily.

He also wanted to visit a certain place...

The Doctor knew the Master had a certain liking towards this planet. She knew where he wanted to go, "Master?" she asked.

He stopped walking to turn and look at her as she approached.

"You sure you want to go there?" secretly she hoped he would say yes. Because she loved that place, too.

"Of course!" he exclaimed with a smirk, "The night is still young- Well! It will be young for the next few weeks! So why not?"

"Where-" Graham started.

"You'll see..." the Master didn't want to listen to them talk any longer, "Not much further."

The Doctor reached into her pocket and pulled out three flat devices - almost as thin as paper. She handed them to her friends, "These will let you purchase whatever you want."

"Seriously, Doctor?" the Master asked in confusion, "Who knows what they'll end up bringing onto the TARDIS?!"

"It'll be fine," she assured, "I take full responsibility if you regenerate in the process," she smirked before offering her hand to him.

He took it and they began to walk side by side towards their destination. The Doctor ignored his worries, continuously having to remind him that they aren't reckless at all.

Ryan had barely taken twenty steps before he kicked over a bucket of fresh fruit... He already had to use his device to pay for the damages.

"Reckless," the Master reminded her with an annoyed expression.

"Only a little," she gave him a shy smile.

**-x-**

The team passed by a few casinos and bars as they grew near to where the Master was leading them, "Do you always have to park the TARDIS so far away?" he groaned.

"If we park it close, then we won't be able to explore properly," she tried to reason.

Ryan had shoved pointless statues into his backpack that he, Yaz and Graham had purchased along the way. The Master tried to tell them that if they wanted figures of Daleks and such, he could just use his TCE to shrink a real one and give it to them.

The Doctor quickly declined for them.

The air grew cold as they rounded a corner, neon lights were scattered down the street ahead - illuminating the faces of residents and visitors who were heading to the same place the Master wanted to go.

They soon approached a large waterfall, "Just through here," the Master said.

"Th-Through there?" Yaz asked.

"Yes," he replied, "Through here."

"We'll get wet, mate!" Ryan exclaimed, not too happy about going through it.

The Master's patience was thin, "It's a dry waterfall."

"Dry waterfall?" Graham asked, "Looks pretty wet to me, Masty."

A look of confusion and disbelief spread across the Master's face, "D-Did you just call me M-?"

"Dry waterfall," the Doctor nodded, "I promise you, it's not like your average waterfall. Completely dry," she looked over to see some people walking through, "Trust me," she squeezed the Master's hand before stepping aside with him staying close - allowing Ryan, Yaz and Graham to enter.

"Woah..." they heard Ryan say on the other side, "That was proper awesome."

"Doctor?!" the Master exclaimed, "Did you- He- He called me Ma-!"

She silenced him with a kiss to the cheek, "I know," she smirked, "Doc. Masty. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

"Not at all!" he assured her, "My poor brains can't deal with this," a sigh escaped him, unsure of how much longer he could cope around these humans.

"I think they're starting to like you," she assured.

He shook his head, "Can't have that. Humans liking me? Not my style," his free hand reached into his pocket, "You think if I used this on someone, they would hate me again?" he smirked as he waved the TCE around.

"No," she warned, grabbing it from him, "You will not use this. Ever."

"Ever?"

"Ever."

He pouted, "My suspicions were correct..."

"About what?" she wondered.

His pout turned into a sinister smile as he quickly grabbed the TCE from her, "You are extremely boring," he pocketed the device before pulling the Doctor through the waterfall.

Ryan, Yaz and Graham were a few metres ahead, patiently waiting.

"Thought you drowned or something," Graham smiled as the pair approached them.

"It's a dry wa-"

"Dry waterfall, yeah I know, mate," Graham quickly replied.

The Master was getting quite annoyed by the amount of times he had been cut off recently. Thankfully, this place had really strong drinks and the Master was looking forward to them.

They were all standing in a cave now, a few lights dotted along the walls in order for people to actually see where they were going.

"Lets go over the rules, shall we?" the Master started, moving to the side of the cave to allow other people to pass by.

"Rules?" Ryan questioned.

The Master ignored him, "First things first. Do not go around kissing random aliens. Some of these people are poisonous to humans..." he paused, "You know what? Kiss who you want. Forget that rule. Official rule number one! Do not buy anything black market. You don't know what you're doing and what you're buying. Which brings us on to rule two. Only buy drinks you know the name of. Anything else is most likely from a different planet. I can barely deal with you lot having one head. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like if you grew another."

"Ask me if you want to try anything else. I will let you know if it's safe for humans," the Doctor added.

"Rule three. Do not talk to me after I've had a drink. Because I will kill you," he promised.

"He won't," the Doctor rolled her eyes.

"What is this place?" Yaz wondered.

"It's like a club-"

"It is not a club, Doctor!" the Master corrected, "There is music, dance floors, bars. But it is much more than a club. Each room has a specific purpose. So don't go drinking in a 'no drinking' room. Because you will be imprisoned. Don't go in the pool, either. That's rule number four."

Ryan questioned, "What? Is it like poisonous or somethin'?"

"No. I just don't want you to get the TARDIS wet," he groaned, "The Doctor would make me clean it up."

The Doctor nudged the Master's side, "That's enough," she looked at her fam, "Just have fun. But yeah. Don't drink anything you don't know about. Earth drinks are one hundred percent safe. If we get split up, don't worry about it. The devices I gave you can track entities with two hearts. So... Us two."

The five of them began to head to the entrance, flashing neon lights illuminated the space in the distance.

"Oh, there's also a black hole! Try not to fall in it!" the Master smirked as the music grew louder.

"Black hole!?" the three humans exclaimed.

"Perfectly safe," the Doctor assured them.

**-x-**

The team had indeed gotten split up. The two Time Lords expected this to happen. It had barely been ten minutes before they had gone their own ways.

The room was wide and filled with people. The ceiling was high and in the centre of the dance floor was a huge black hole. It was in a giant stasis field in order to stop it from activating.

The Master often wondered what sort of maniac would build this place around a black hole. He was so tempted to steal the Doctor's sonic and go and deactivate the field. His patience was wearing thin as he sat at on the bar stool, sipping away at some random drink from the planet Raxacoricofallapatorius. It was a light green colour and it bubbled slightly from the high temperature it possessed.

It was disgusting.

He hated it.

But the Doctor enjoyed it, so he decided to give it a chance.

Speaking of the Doctor... She had been gone for quite some time. She said that she saw an old friend of hers and wanted to go and talk with them.

He allowed the burning sensation of the drink to pass through his mouth once more before closing his eyes. The music was quickly drowned at.

'You get lost?'

'Sorry, sorry!' she apologised, 'Got a bit carried away. I'm heading over to you now. Buy me a drink?'

'Always so needy,' his eyes snapped open and then proceeded to order for the Doctor. His fingers tapped on the bar in a familiar four beat tune as he waited for her. Honestly, he would much rather listen to the infuriating drums in his head than the Earth music that surrounded him - echoing off the walls.

He knew something was off as soon as they landed on this planet... He'd assumed that the Doctor had felt it too... But she hadn't. The air was still calm. But not as calm as it usually is. There was an unwanted tension that had surrounded him the entire time. The Doctor already had enough on her shoulders and he didn't to worry her anymore.

Something was here that wasn't supposed to be.

He soon forgot about the threat as one of the beats from the drums in his head was louder, this caught him off guard. The loud bang acted as a warning. He turned on his stool to what had caused his head to ache.

The Master's hand quickly tightened around his glass, unamused at the sight. His blood boiled, his hearts beat fast.

Some lowlife human from an Earth colony from the year - Oh, the Master didn't care about him! He could tell by the way the human leaned in close that he was flirting with the Doctor.

The man had taken the Doctor's hand and kissed the back of it. The Master quickly downed the rest of his drink before turning to slam the glass down onto the bar. He quickly looked back at the man and the Doctor again, his fists clenched as he watched.

Nobody touched his Doctor.

He could sense that the Doctor was uncomfortable, but she was too nice to tell him to go away.

The Master jumped off the bar stool and immediately stormed over to the pair. He quickly grabbed the Doctor's free hand and pulled her to his side. Before the Doctor could protest, his lips found hers in a heated kiss. His arms wrapped around the woman's waist protectively.

He pulled back to look down at a stunned Doctor, his eyes drifted over to the human, "You're lucky I'm not in a killing mood today," he growled, just loud enough for him to hear.

"Master..." the Doctor whispered, recovering from the kiss. Her voice bounced around his head, soothing the drumming.

He hushed her, "Shhh... I won't hurt him. As long as he leaves. Right. Now," he said, the human understood the threat.

The man grumbled to himself before heading off into the nearby crowd.

The two Time Lords stayed close, the Master's arms were still secure around the Doctor. Her arms had found their way around his neck.

'You don't need to be jealous, Koschei...' her thoughts invaded his, the drums now completely blocked out.

Her head rested on his chest as he responded, 'I'm never jealous.'

'Lies.'

The Doctor had only consumed a couple drinks since arriving. She started to sway them to the music. It was one of Earth's many slow songs from the year 2025.

'I don't dance,' the Master informed her, he wouldn't admit that he enjoyed this intimacy with her.

'Again. Lies. Your last two regenerations had a knack for it," she moved her head away so she could look into her eyes.

She felt her hearts skip a beat. The look in his eyes. Sure there was a certain emptiness to them. But she could see it. Clearly. There was a flicker of love behind all that darkness. She hadn't seen that look in his eyes in so long.

'My last two regenerations were idiots.'

'Cute idiots.'

The Master leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips, hoping it would silence her.

'I can still talk in your head, you know?' she mentioned.

'Shut up, Theta.'

The Doctor stayed quiet in his head. The music was still drowned out due to their current connection. She felt like they were the only two people in the room.

The Master let his walls down. He couldn't help it. He tried to stop his darkness from washing over her, but he felt so free at this moment.

The darkness hit her hard, causing their connection to falter slightly. The Master gave her a reassuring squeeze before pulling her closer.

Her head was filled with the sights of Gallifrey burning once more. She pulled away in shock.

'You still think about it?'

Sadness. She didn't expect to see that emotion within his eyes.

'Yes,' he nodded, pulling her into a hug. The soothing double heartbeat settled the Doctor's mind.

He got annoyed at himself quickly. Annoyed that he actually felt guilty for what he did. He couldn't have just killed a couple Time Lords? No. He had to go and destroy the entire damn planet.

She hadn't forgiven him. She knew she would one day. That day was far into the future.

'Koschei... I know a small part of you regrets what you have done. I understand that. Just know that I won't leave you behind. I will help you get better.'

He decided not to respond. He remained silent for the next few minutes, just holding her. Hoping it was enough.

Their connection soon broke completely as a loud explosion invaded their ears. People started to scream and shout, the music died down and then everybody began to run for the exit.

"Aha!" the Master exclaimed, grabbing her hand, "Finally! I was wondering when the danger would make its appearance!" he sounded like an excited child opening his Christmas presents.

"Y-You knew this was going to happen!?" she asked in annoyance as they made their way to the side of the room, clear from the huge crowd.

"Doctor, Doctor, Doctor..." he started, "Is it even an adventure with you if there is no threatening monster?"

She couldn't deny that.

The Doctor convinced the Master that they needed to go and find the gang.

Their fingers remained intertwined as they began to head towards the source of the explosion.

"We do this together, okay?" the Doctor asked.

He nodded down at her, "Together."

**-x-**

**THANKS FOR READING. YOU ARE ALL AMAZING.**

_**Spoilers: Chapter 4 - The Master saves the Doctor's 'fam'** _


	4. Chapter 4

**Take My Hand 4 | Thoschei (SpyDoc)**

**13th Doctor x Dhawan!Master**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Chapter 4: The Master saves the Doctor's fam & has to deal with his inner Cyberium**

**-x-**

The drumming in his head was loud and clear as his eyes remained on the Doctor. She was using her sonic to scan some strange unknown device that had crashed through the glass ceiling of the building, a couple flames were dying out in the surrounding area.

There were smashed glasses across the floor from the people who had dropped them in their hurry to escape. The Master's fists clenched as the air turned cold.

He knew something was wrong.

"Why is this stupid thing not working?!" the Doctor groaned in annoyance, her voice calming the drums momentarily.

The Master took a step closer, "You have the sonic upside down, Doctor..." he rolled his eyes.

"Oh..." she muttered.

"That's my name," he joked.

The Doctor hushed him, "Sorry, my head's still a bit fuzzy from the drinks," she said, nervously - readjusting the sonic, "Luckily nobody was hurt," her eyes narrowed, "The damage would've been fatal."

He looked around the large room, his eyes trying to focus on anything to stop the drums. He felt his whole body tingle, causing him to shiver. His fists clenched and his eyes closed, feeling a sudden surge of power rush through him.

"Koschei?" the Doctor asked, voice full of concern. She walked over to him with caution.

His eyes quickly snapped open to look at her, "Yes? What? I'm fine," he assured.

Her hand reached for his, taking it carefully, "No you're not. What's happening?" she pocketed her sonic before allowing her hand to rest above his hearts. His hearts were beating a lot faster than they should be.

"Doctor..." he groaned.

She glanced over at the mysterious piece of equipment, and then back to the Master, "Ah, I think I understand..." she started before pulling him into a hug.

"You know how I feel about hugging, Doctor..." he said, trying to sound annoyed.

"You weren't complaining earlier," she quickly corrected. He rolled his eyes before returning the hug, "Now," she pulled away quickly before bouncing back over to the device, "I was hoping we wouldn't run into these lot for quite some time... But the Cyberium has called them."

The Master gulped, "I had a bad feeling about today," he admitted, feeling the Cyberium flowing through his body. He let out a groan of pain as it rushed through his arms, "I didn't want to worry you about something so unimportant-"

"You should've told me," she said, turning to face him.

"I'm handling it," he replied, coldly.

"Clearly," she sighed, "The Cyberium is finally fighting you. The remaining Cybermen will be here soon to take it. They'll kill everyone in their path."

A shiver ran up the Master's spine, feeling the Cyberium flow, "And what exactly is that thing?" he asked, looking at the suspicious device on the floor.

"From what the sonic told me... it's some sort of beacon. Scanning the planet for the Cyberium. It won't take long for the Cybermen to find out that it's here."

"Can you disable the signal?" he questioned.

"Could give it a go," she muttered, using her sonic once again, "Come ooon..." she groaned to herself, hoping it would work.

"Doctor!" a familiar voice cried out, causing the two Time Lords to jump.

"Ryan," the Doctor said, looking towards the source.

"Come on then, Doctor!" the Master sighed, walking off in the direction of the voice, "Lets go save your humans."

"But-But the beacon! I-I haven't managed to disable it, I-"

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, "I think it's too late for that. They're here."

The pair ran out of the room and down a short hallway. They entered another large room, the ceiling was high and the moon's light shined through the huge windows across the walls.

"You will tell us where the Cyberium is located," Cybermen. The fam were backed up against a wall by five of them.

"I-I told you mate, I don't know!" Ryan tried to explain.

"Yeah, we have no idea," Yaz tried to reason, Graham was slightly in front of Yaz and Ryan - being protective of them.

The Master whispered, smirking at the Doctor, "Now I know you said to never use this..." he revealed the TCE, "But just this once?"

The Doctor was about to protest. But her breath hitched in her throat as she looked into his eyes. They weren't filled with murderous intent... the look in his eyes was different than normal. It was as if he actually cared about her friends...

He didn't notice her staring, so he danced off towards the Cybermen, "Now now, boys... Stand down," he said, his voice dark yet a hint of excitement laced his words.

The Cybermen turned around, "You will tell us where the Cyberium is loc-"

"Where the Cyberium is located, yeah, yeah," he yawned, "You lot are extremely boring, you know?"

"We require the Cyberium," one spoke, "You will tell us where it is or you will face deletion."

"No, no, no, no... That's not how this is going to work out," the Master replied before aiming the TCE at them, "You will leave now or you will face deletion."

The Doctor watched, completely surprised.

He was giving them... a chance? The Master didn't do that.

"What's it gonna be..." the Master waited, "We don't know wher-" his whole body shook. His hand twitched, causing him to drop the TCE. He hunched over in pain... The Cyberium flowed throughout him at a rapid pace. He looked down at his hands, praying that the Cyberium would calm down.

"Master!" the Doctor called, quickly heading over.

"I'm fine!" he exclaimed, angrily. He forced his shaking hand to pick the TCE back up, gripping it hard. The Doctor stood by his side, trying her best not worry about his heavy breathing. She could tell that his hearts were beating rapidly.

"Cyberium located," the Cybermen announced. Three of them turned back to face Ryan, Yaz and Graham, "Humans are no longer required. Prepare for maximum deletion."

"Doc-!" Yaz began.

The three Cybermen disappeared one by one almost instantly. The last two were next.

"I... I gave them a chance," the Master sighed, dropping the TCE. He looked down at the five tiny Cybermen, "They're even more stupid than humans..." he moved to sit down on the floor, his legs feeling heavy.

The Doctor didn't think before speaking, "Give it to me," she pleaded, kneeling down next to him."

"Never gonna happen," he chuckled, his eyes closing as he focused on controlling his hearts.

"We don't know what it's capable of," she tried to reason, "Who knows what it will do if it stays inside of you any longer."

"Which is why I'm not giving it to you, Doctor," he replied, his eyes opening to find hers, "Because yes. We don't know what it's capable of."

The fam remained silent as they watched the interaction. They were all just as confused as each other. The Master was never like this.

The Master reached for the Doctor's hand, kissing the back of it, "The Cyberium... is weak," he mocked, "I will always be stronger than it."

"It's draining you," the Doctor said, "We need to get back to the Tardis. Maybe we can contain it," the Doctor stood, keeping the Master's hand in hers - helping him stand.

**-x-**

The Master sat on the top step of the stairs, watching the Doctor fiddle with some of the controls on the console. His hands were clasped together, his hearts still beat at an unusual rate. Slightly faster than it typically is.

The Doctor's friends were seated on a couple steps below him.

"The Tardis is working on making a containment field," the Doctor explained, "She's going over a couple possibilities. Shouldn't take long."

The Master took a deep breath, reaching into his pocket to grab one of the Cybermen. He looked down at it before smirking.

"Hey..." Yaz said, looking up at him.

"What?" the Master asked, peering down at the humans.

Ryan, Yaz and Graham looked between each other before looking back at the Master, "We just wanted to say thanks, Master," Graham spoke.

The Doctor stopped what she was doing, silenting glancing at the four on the stairs. A smile graced her lips as she saw the Master flinch.

"I was saving myself," he muttered, "Nothing more."

"You keep telling yourself that, mate," Ryan smiled, "Thanks, though."

"Don't think this is going to be a regular thing," the Time Lord groaned, putting the Cyberman back into his pocket.

The three humans stood, "We're going to head off for the night, Doctor," Graham said, "Let you get some work done here."

She nodded, leaning against the console, "Night, guys. I'll take you to that planet I was telling you about, oh what was it called... Midnight! Fantastic spa, well... As long as you don't pay attention to the unknown creature that lives there..." she stopped herself before going on, "Yeah. When you wake up, eh?"

"Looking forward to it, Doc," Graham nodded. They all said their goodnights. The Master remained silent, only giving them a nod.

The Doctor looked at the Master. He had a smile on his face as he watched them walk towards one of the corridors.

It wasn't a sinister smile.

"You've changed," the Doctor said, walking over. She headed up the stairs to sit next to him.

"No, I haven't," he looked away from her, the smile quickly dropped from his face.

She nudged his shoulder with hers, "Whatever you say, Koschei..."

The pair remained in a comfortable silence. The beeping and low whirring coming from the console was relaxing, creating a calm atmosphere.

The Doctor leaned her head against the Master's shoulder, catching him off guard.

He finally decided to rest his cheek on top her head.

"They like you."

He rolled his eyes, "Your friends are really annoying... sometimes," he tried to make it sound as if he didn't care about them at all.

"Our friends," she corrected.

They remained there for the next hour. Awaiting the results from the TARDIS.


End file.
